How accurate is eyewitness testimony?
Would you make a good eyewitness? According to Good Morning America, “roughly 1/3 of the cases where a person was wrongfully convicted of a crime and later cleared of all charges is due to what experts call mistaken eyewitness identifications. That is when a witness gets it wrong about who the perpetrator is and what happened.” 33rd Street Bail Bonds wants to inform you about the reliability of eyewitness testimony.
Check out these examples of why an eyewitness might not be 100% reliable:
•The eyewitness is under an extreme amount of stress and isn’t’ focused on the details of the person committing the crime
•Eyewitnesses sometimes transpose clothing, hairstyles, age, etc from the criminal to the victim. For example, they become confused and think the criminal was wearing glasses when in reality, the victim was wearing glasses
•If there is a weapon at the crime scene that can cause more stress and lead to inaccurate testimony
•If the perpetrator is wearing a disguise such as a wig or mask that could confuse a person a result in the testimony being wrong
•If the criminal has no distinctive characteristics such as tattoos, unusual hairstyle, distinctive eye color, etc. then an eyewitness could be confused
•Police lineups can be prejudiced. Preferably, a police lineup should not be influenced by a police officer. The presiding officer should not know if the witness is in the lineup so that the officer doesn’t subconsciously influence the eyewitness by nodding, smiling, or body language
•An eyewitness often feels compelled to choose a person in a line up even if the criminal is not actually in that line up
•Memory is inaccurate and is based on people remembering information from their viewpoint/interpretation
•Eyewitnesses can be influenced by other people and by leading questions. An eyewitness should be interviewed separate from others. The person asking the questions has to be careful not to lead the eyewitness into making statements that are false
33rd Street Bail Bonds wants you to be aware that eyewitness testimony is not 100% reliable. To be a good witness, don’t be afraid to say that you don’t know. Don’t feel compelled to answer if you really don’t know. Also, be aware that eyewitnesses are often interviewed hours or days after a crime takes place. This amount of time between witnessing the actual crime and reporting what they saw can cause discrepancies in testimony.
What if you have been charged?
If you or a loved one has been charged with a crime such as theft, drug trafficking, assault, DUI, or any other charge, please call us at 407-425-7200 or 407-425-3303 to start the bail bond process. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year to help you with the bail bond process. All of our bail bond agents are experienced, knowledgeable, and empathetic. Our bail bond agents can walk you through the bail bond process step by step. They can assist you with paperwork, explain the bail bond process, and answer any questions that you may have regarding the criminal justice system.
We are the oldest and most trusted bail bond agency in Central Florida. We have been family owned and operated since 1971. We have helped clients across Central Florida including those residing in Orange, Seminole, Lake, Volusia, and Osceola counties. 33rd Street Bail Bonds is the name you can trust. Please call us today at 404-425-7200 or 407-425-3303 to start the bail bond process.